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10
The
PLAIN TRUTH
1:: c:si.
•
Wid• World Photo
ALONG THE SUEZ CANAL:
From a sand-bagged bunker, Egyptian Presi–
dent Anwar Sadat looks at lsraeli positions on the occupied east bank of
the Suez Canal.
removing the traces of the Israeli aggres–
sion on the basis of the principies and
attitudes we have declared, whatever the
effort and sacrüice."
Even then, depending on how one
interprets the statement, there is littJe in
the way of optimism to dig out of such
either-or utterings.
Egyptian War Minister, Sadek, has
aJso been stumping the countryside with
flaming speeches. To the troops oo the
canal he said, "The time of battle has
approached, there is no substitute for
the battle.
If
the enemy strikes deep
into Egypt, we will strike back without
merey."
Elsewhere, m another round of
speech making, Sadek threatened, "We
have oo alteroative now but to Jiberate
our occupied Jands."
Other Arab Positioos
What about the stance of other Arab
Federation members
Syria and
Libya? Syria has been strangely quiet
about the situation. Perhaps it is her
close proximity and extreme vulnerabil-
ity that keeps any pronouncements to a
hardly audible whisper.
The Libyans are further away and
perhaps can afford more bravado. As
Libyans went to the polls in September
to vote for the constitutioo of the Fed–
eration of Arab Republics, they were
told by their President Qaddafi: "As
you march to the polls today, you march
to Golan and the West Bank, to the
mosque of Al-Aqsa and to Jerusalem."
At the moment, Egypt is the pivot
point.
If
Sadat takes his nation to war,
then the rest may well be forced to fol–
low. However, Sadat himself is being
squeezed in a pressure vise.
Libya's Qaddaffi, further from the
front, is exerting great pressure on
Sadat to resume hostilities. Internally,
the army is feeling its Soviet oats, in the
form of billions of dollars of equip–
ment. Sadat has quoted his officers as
pleading with him to give the order to
cross the canal.
Meanwhile, King Hussein of Jordan
called for a Security Council meeting
at the United Nations to discuss the
November
1971
Jerusalem question. Israel is accused of
driving the Arab population out of
Jerusalem, to secure a Jewish majority
in the city.
The king has also called for an end
to alleged Israeli attempts to change the
ethnic, culturaJ and physical character
of Jerusalem. The Jerusalem dilemma
could become one of the stickiest
problems in future discussions.
Moscow: A Restraining Force?
It is quite clear how the Egyptians
feel. Ironically, the Soviet Union is a
major restraioing force on Egypt. The
Kremlio has made it perfectly dear that
its cornrnitrnent to Egypt does not
extend to waging war against Israel on
behalf of the Arabs.
On the one hand, Moscow has told
Egypt it would step in openly only if
the Egyptian Heartland (whatever that
rnight be?) were attacked. On the other
hand it is holding out new-found srniles
to the Israelis.
The editor of the influential Egyp·
tian newspaper
AI-Ahram,
Mohammed
Heikal summed up the meaning of this
political jockeying when he said,
''Egypt no longer could count on the
support of the Russians because Mos–
cow fears that confrontation in the
Middle East would lead to a major war
and war between the superpowers has
become an impossibility."
But the Egyptians might try it any–
way without further Soviet commitrnent.
Israelí Defense Minister Moshe Dayan
has said he believes Egypt will go to
war if a political settlement does not
materiaJize by the end of the year.
Can Peace Be Found?
Why both Arabs and Jews must be
pushed to the brink of war is in sorne
ways an enigma. The overall policy of
the Arabs commits them to an eventual
war. Still officials - and prívate citizens
on both sides - say they want peace and
claim that solutions can be found.
This
is
perhaps the most humiliating
tragedy in a senseless, quarter century of
ou-again-off-again war. Both sides want
peace; both sides say they can live
together. Yet, in spite of such claims -
and they go up to the highest officials
on both sides - war seems to be the
final crucible. O